Opening Day Communication

August 28, 2023

Dear Brackett Families,

As summer comes to a close, I want to welcome you again to the Brackett Community for the 2023-2024 School Year. It was wonderful to meet so many of you at the Popsicles with the Principals event last Monday and others of you as you have stopped by Brackett to say hello over the summer. We look forward to continuing the conversations we began and meeting with more of you over the next few weeks.

The first day of school quickly approaches and we wanted you to have one email to refer to with all of the important information you will need for Opening Day. So here it is!

Brackett Elementary 2023-2024 Beginning of Year INFO:

• The first day of school

The first day for Grades 1–5 is Tuesday, September 5. 

Kindergarten students have been assigned to a first full day on either September 5 or September 6. The second day for all Kindergarteners is Thursday, September 7.

Remember to think about extra time if you would like to take special pictures on this special day!

• SCHOOL HOURS

The school day begins at 8:00 am and ends at 2:30 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Wednesdays, school ends at 1:00 pm for district-wide professional learning time for teachers. The front and cafeteria doors will open at 7:55 am, so that students can quickly move inside to their classrooms. Kindergarten classes enter through their outside doors at 8 am sharp!

Students who arrive after 8am are marked tardy and will need to enter through the front doors and pick up a pass from Ms. Killeen before going to class. It is important that students are in school on time, so please start to think now about how your morning routine may need to change to account for arriving at school on time.

• Brackett Arrival & Dismissal Plans
  For the first week, classes will line up at designated spaces in the school yard and teachers will walk them into the building. Please prepare to have your child in line by 7:55 am to walk into the building. For the next few weeks, staff will continue to be there to greet students and help them enter the building. 

Kindergarten: Kindergarteners will line up outside their classrooms at the doors on Fayette Street. 

Grade 1: Line up on the blacktop and enter through the front door.

Grade 2: Line up on the blacktop and enter through the front door.

Grade 3: Line up on the basketball court and enter through the front door.

Grade 4: Line up on  the basketball court and enter through the cafeteria.

Grade 5: Line up on Cricket field and enter through the cafeteria.

Please share DISMISSAL plans with your child’s teacher BEFORE the first day of school. After-school programs will communicate with us about enrollment, but information from families is extremely valuable. Students will dismiss through the same door that they arrive through. Please meet them at the line-up spots.

SAFETY FIRST!

Morning arrival/drop-off is an important time to practice safe routines and to follow the laws in our community. Crosswalks are clearly marked and should be used when crossing Eastern Ave, especially from 7:45 am to 8:05 am. We encourage families to walk, scooter, or ride bikes (bike racks are in back of Brackett) whenever possible to alleviate the vehicular traffic around school.

Starting your routine a little earlier, whenever possible, and walking to school is a great way for children to get out a bit of energy and center themselves for the day ahead. It’s also a great way for grown-ups to get in some steps!

Parking is located along Eastern Avenue in both directions and throughout the neighborhood. This is important if you want to walk your child to their line spot. If you’re in a hurry, park up the street on Eastern Avenue and have your child walk down the sidewalk to school.

There is NO parking, stopping, or pausing for individual drop off directly in front of the school on the school-side of Eastern Ave. This area is designated for school buses only. 

Reminder – Brackett Elementary is a pet/animal-free campus per district policy. Animals should remain on the surrounding sidewalks during school hours. We have students whose school day can be greatly affected by their morning arrival transition, and animals can unfortunately make a big, not-positive impact.

• BREAKFAST, LUNCH, and SNACK

All school meals (breakfast and lunch) are served free of charge again this year for all students. Healthy snacks should be brought from home each day. Your teacher can give you guidance on this. Please do not send candy or soda and respect any notice further restricting snack items due to food allergies or other state guidelines.

Brackett Elementary will serve breakfast starting at 7:30 AM in the cafeteria. Students who want to participate in our morning breakfast program should enter through the cafeteria doors located on the side of the building near the playground.

From the Superintendent’s email:
Morning Care and Breakfast Program
We are excited to announce that we are launching the APS Before School Breakfast Club, an expanded morning care and breakfast program available for all students K-12. To learn more about the program view the information sheet here. If you would like your child(ren) to participate in the program, please complete this form for each child.

• BTS Forms

PLEASE COMPLETE your child(ren)’s Back-to-School (BTS) Update Forms ASAP! You will receive an email from Arlington Public Schools about updating Back to School Forms. For more information about how to fill out your BTS Update, visit the APS district website or call Brackett’s front office. Incoming Kindergarten and newly-enrolled families do not need to fill out BTS Update Forms.

• WHAT to bring and what NOT to bring

School supply lists were included in the email about class placements and in the letters that were mailed home. These are also accessible on the District Brackett School website. If you have any questions or need help arranging supplies, please reach out to your child’s teacher

LABEL–LABEL–LABEL!! Please take a few moments to label your child’s belongings including backpacks, coats, lunch boxes, and even shoes! Lost and found is located in the cafeteria, but it is much easier to return it to your child.

Students will not be allowed to use cellular or Wi-Fi devices brought from home while they are at school. (This excludes APS iPads and Chromebooks). Students will be instructed to keep these devices in their locker. This includes phones, tablets, and smart watches. Everyone at school has ample access to phones and clocks. Also, we are not responsible for any of these devices being damaged or stolen.

Toys from home are also not allowed and exceptions should be cleared with the classroom teacher. There are special occasions and some other flexibility, but the general rule is to leave toys at home.

Sneakers should be worn to school on gym days and are the preferred footwear on other days. Please avoid flip-flops, clogs, and shoes with higher heels. It is difficult for children to participate in active play with these types of footwear. If purchasing sneakers, please select a variety with non-marking soles.

• ALL VISITORS (including FAMILIES)

For security purposes when school is in session, everyone (parent/caregivers and other visitors) MUST check-in at the office and obtain a Visitor’s Pass. 

If you are interested in volunteering at Brackett, please fill out the form found in the front office. As part of this, you will need to present an ID to complete a CORI check.

• CALENDAR, COMMUNICATION +

Check out the District Brackett Website for the latest communications and to subscribe to the Brackett School Events Calendar.

Important Dates to note immediately:

Sep 5: First Day of School for Grades 1–5

Sep 5: First Day of School for ½ Kindergarten (Group 1)

Sep 6: First Day of School for ½ Kindergarten (Group 2)

Sep 7: Second Day of School for all Kindergarteners

Sep 25: NO SCHOOL for Yom Kippur

Sep 28: Back-to-School/Curriculum Night

Oct 9: NO SCHOOL for Indigenous Peoples Day

Additional information will be shared via email on the First Day of School about the school-wide communication plan and how to join the amazing, incredibly talented Brackett PTO!

Brackett Staff/Faculty Summer Updates

This summer, Brackett said farewell to three amazing teachers, Kaylin Barnes, Jen Finkle and Racquel Yutkins. We wish them well as they spend more time with family and explore new ventures closer to home.

In turn, we are welcoming a few new faces to our teaching community! Emma Wroblewski joins Brackett as our new Learning Center teacher. Julia Phillips will be joining Brackett as our new Speech and Language practitioner. Families can find a complete list of our education team on the District Brackett website.

Final Thoughts

As a parent and as an educator, I wanted to share some final thoughts about transitioning into the beginning of school. While I fully support enjoying the last days of summer break, as we are one week away, slowly rebuilding school-time routines will help with the excitement of the first week of school. 

Talk together as a family about how you will get ready. Think about reading together before bedtime and how pulling back on screen-time slowly may be easier than an abrupt stop on Monday night/Tuesday morning. Children feel the feelings of their grown-ups, so talking positively about school and this transition is important too. 

Whew! That was a ton of information. Have an amazing last week before school begins. We (the teachers, staff, and administrators) will all be back in the buildings getting ready for you. We cannot wait to see you!

See you soon!

Yours,

Gretchen and Michael